April Discobs 2023

[MN Transplant]

Of interest only to me, but I thought I would share anyway.  This is a catalog of every 40mph+ gust that my weather station in Falls Church has recorded, with comparisons to IAD/DCA.  I have a pretty good mounting location above my roofline, but we are surrounded by 100' oaks so it does read low, especially after leaf-out.  Still bummed that I lost power in two of the bigger region-wide events (derecho and Mar. 2018).  

The localized downburst in August 2021 caused much more damage in my neighborhood than any other event in the past decade-plus, derecho included.

Edit - new list below

 

 

 

 

 

[George BM]

34 minutes ago, MN Transplant said:

Of interest only to me, but I thought I would share anyway.  This is a catalog of every 40mph+ gust that my weather station in Falls Church has recorded, with comparisons to IAD/DCA.  I have a pretty good mounting location above my roofline, but we are surrounded by 100' oaks so it does read low, especially after leaf-out.  Still bummed that I lost power in two of the bigger region-wide events (derecho and Mar. 2018).  As a note, the DCA/IAD readings are based on the hourly METARs and not the peak wind column, so that's why you see the lower numbers for the 4/1 event.  But in ensures consistency going backward.

The localized downburst in August 2021 caused much more damage in my neighborhood than any other event in the past decade-plus, derecho included.

 

 

 

 

 

Amazing!

 

Note: I'm assuming you're using a different criteria for comparing your max gusts with the airports as I know you know IAD gusted up to 68mph on 4/01/2023 with a 71mph gust on 3/02/2018? DCA gusting up to 62mph 3/02/2018.

 

[MN Transplant]

13 minutes ago, George BM said:

Amazing!

 

Note: I'm assuming you're using a different criteria for comparing your max gusts with the airports as I know you know IAD gusted up to 68mph on 4/01/2023 with a 71mph gust on 3/02/2018? DCA gusting up to 62mph 3/02/2018.

 

Yes, I couldn’t find the peak gust numbers in the daily obs.  I was going off the hourly Metars.  Maybe I need to look at the F6s?  

[MN Transplant]

1 hour ago, MN Transplant said:

Of interest only to me, but I thought I would share anyway.  This is a catalog of every 40mph+ gust that my weather station in Falls Church has recorded, with comparisons to IAD/DCA.  I have a pretty good mounting location above my roofline, but we are surrounded by 100' oaks so it does read low, especially after leaf-out.  Still bummed that I lost power in two of the bigger region-wide events (derecho and Mar. 2018).  

The localized downburst in August 2021 caused much more damage in my neighborhood than any other event in the past decade-plus, derecho included.

Edit - new list below

 

 

 

 

 

 

49 minutes ago, George BM said:

Amazing!

 

Note: I'm assuming you're using a different criteria for comparing your max gusts with the airports as I know you know IAD gusted up to 68mph on 4/01/2023 with a 71mph gust on 3/02/2018? DCA gusting up to 62mph 3/02/2018.

 

Here we go based on the F6s.  These are more what I recall.

 

[midatlanticweather]

Wow, checked and I managed 29.5 degrees for a low this morning. 

As far as gusts. I know that we managed at least 20 mph more than what I was able to get on my weather station. The weather station measured a 53mph sustained wind before the power went out and 5 telephone poles were toppled about a half mile from me. That was one of the better wind events since the one back in 2018. 

 

[pazzo83]

Low of 42 here - the growing season is in full swing.

[Roger Ramjet]

1 hour ago, midatlanticweather said:

Wow, checked and I managed 29.5 degrees for a low this morning. 

As far as gusts. I know that we managed at least 20 mph more than what I was able to get on my weather station. The weather station measured a 53mph sustained wind before the power went out and 5 telephone poles were toppled about a half mile from me. That was one of the better wind events since the one back in 2018. 

 

Where in Purcellville are you? I'm on Harpers Ferry Road about 5 miles north of Route 9 on the west side of the east hill. I did not lose power, but I was getting slammed with wind. I have a log home with a great room that has a 24' ceiling and a wall of windows that face due west with about 2000' of pasture in front of me. I had to go back to my bedroom in the back because the creaking was freaking me out. I'm at 725'.

[CAPE]

Detailed report from Mount Holly on the southern DE tornado, an EF3-

 

Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Mount Holly NJ
143 PM EDT Mon Apr 3 2023

...NWS Damage Survey for April 1, 2023 Tornadoes and Wind Event - Update 2...

.Update...Added tornado damage survey details for the Sussex County, DE and 
Jackson Twp, NJ tornadoes.

.Overview...

A line of severe thunderstorms crossed the region Saturday night,
April 1, 2023. These storms produced a number of tornadoes and 
wind damage.

In addition to the detailed summaries below, the following 
tornadoes have been confirmed, but we are still reviewing data to 
come up with detailed information including rating:

Howell, NJ
Sea Girt, NJ

Additionally, we are still investigating damage in the following areas:
Crosswicks, NJ
Cream Ridge, NJ
Mays Landing, NJ

Tornado statistics for Delaware since 1950:

The only other recorded fatality in a tornado in Delaware occurred 
with an F2 tornado on July 21, 1983 near Hartley in Kent County.

The strongest tornado on record in Delaware struck on April 28, 1961 
in New Castle. It had an F3 rating based upon it having destroyed a 
13-inch wall of a warehouse and having tossed large doors from the 
warehouse two blocks away. It also damaged several house roofs.

The longest track tornado on record in Delaware struck Kent and New 
Castle Counties on June 7, 1988. It traveled 23 miles from the area 
of Summit Airport to near Woodland Beach and had an intensity of F1. 

The two widest tornadoes previously on record in Delaware were the 
EF2 tornadoes which struck the state on August 4, 2020 during 
Tropical Storm Isaias, both of which had widths of 500 yards.

Historically, Delaware has gone multiple years without any 
tornadoes, only to then have multiple occur in a short time. There 
were no tornadoes for about a 7 year period between September 28, 
2004 and August 27, 2011. Delaware had 5 tornadoes in a single day 
during Tropical Storm Isaias, the most daily on record. The most in 
a year were 6 in 1992 and 2020.

.Bridgeville-Ellendale DE Tornado...

Rating:                 EF-3
Estimated Peak Wind:    140 mph
Path Length /statute/:  14.3 miles
Path Width /maximum/:   700 yards (0.4 miles)
Fatalities:             1
Injuries:               0

Start Date:             April 1, 2023
Start Time:             5:59 PM EDT
Start Location:         Bridgeville / Sussex County / DE
Start Lat/Lon:          38.7570 / -75.6398

End Date:               April 1, 2023
End Time:               6:19 PM EDT
End Location:           Ellendale / Sussex County / DE
End Lat/Lon:            38.8180 / -75.3892

The Bridgeville-Ellendale Tornado began around 5:59 PM EDT near the 
intersection of Polk Road and Dublin Hill Road where a section of a 
small barn roof was blown off. The tornado continued east-northeast 
crossing Seashore Highway. Along this section of the damage path, a 
couple wooden power poles were blown down along with several trees 
uprooted or snapped. On tree fell onto a house causing significant 
collateral roof damage. The tornado continued eastward paralleling 
Newton Road where a farmstead sustain significant tree damage. About 
a half dozen parked semi-trailers were blow over along a driveway. 
Farther east, more tree damage and snapped power poles were 
observed. Near the intersection of Precious Lane and Newton Road, a 
2 story house was collapsed after appearing to have slid off its 
foundation. A small outbuilding was also severely damaged nearby. 
Debris from this area was blown several hundred yards east into 
nearby fields. Another farmstead was struck by the tornado as it 
continued east on Dale Farm Road. A large barn had 2 exterior walls 
blown out and a smaller shed was blown over. Several trees were also 
snapped or uprooted on the property.

The tornado continued east, crossing a railroad track and impacting 
a Delaware Department of Transportation facility. Along the railroad 
track, a half dozen or more wooden high tension power poles were 
snapped and collapsed along with 2 steel high tension power poles. 
This is where the tornado's estimated peak wind speeds of 140 mph 
were reached. The DE DOT facility sustained significant damage. A 
maintenance garage building experienced a collapse of an exterior 
wall and large portion of its roof. 2 smaller garage buildings 
nearby experienced several garage doors blown out, roofing material 
removal, and exterior wall damage. A building storing road salt had 
it's roof completely destroyed. The facility's office building had a 
few windows blown out, siding, and roofing material blown off. Some 
of the siding material was found embedded into the ground 
downstream where a Delaware Environmental Observing System mesonet 
gauge measured a 98 mph wind gust at 3 meters (~10 feet) above the 
ground at 6:05 PM EDT.

The tornado continued across a field, then crossed US Route 13 where 
a few utility poles were snapped. The tornado continued east into a 
wooded area where significant tree damage occurred. Numerous trees 
were snapped, one of which fell onto a double-wide manufactured 
home. After continuing through the wooded area, the tornado emerged 
into a field along Sugar Hill Road. A house along the road sustained 
significant roof removal, exterior wall damage, and blown out 
windows. A small outbuilding sustained roof material removal and 
several trees near the house were snapped or uprooted. The tornado 
continued across Sugar Hill Road and east into another field where 2 
irrigation pivots were blown over. The tornado emerged into a wooded 
residential area along Fawn Road where the tornado appeared to have 
intensified. The tornado cause significant uprooted and snapped 
trees in the area as well as significant removal of roofing material 
and blown out windows to some of the single-family houses along Fawn 
Road. Farther east, the significant tree damage continued and a 
large detached garage collapsed.

The tornado continued northeast toward the northern extension of 
Fawn Road where more significant tree damage occurred. A single 
story single family home appeared to have slid off its foundation 
and collapsed. A few other homes sustained roofing material and 
other cosmetic material blown off. The tornado continued east into 
another wooded residential area along Quail Hollow Road where mostly 
significant tree damage occurred. Numerous trees were snapped or 
uprooted. One snapped tree fell into a house causing significant 
collateral damage. On large detached garage was severely damaged 
with exterior walls and roof collapse near Tuckers Road And Quail 
Hollow Road.

The tornado moved northeast from this area into a wooded area just 
south of Tuckers Road, emerging into an open field. This was the 
point where the tornado reached its maximum with of about 700 yards 
(~0.4 miles). The tornado struck a small farmstead along Tuckers 
Road. The house appeared to have slide off its foundation and 
collapsed. 2 barns on the property were completely destroyed along 
with snapped trees and power poles. Farther east, several homes 
sustained damage from fallen trees and wind blowing off roof 
material. A few irrigation pivots were blown over in this area. 
Numerous trees were snapped or uprooted along Owens Road and Sharps 
Mill Road near Tuckers Road. Just east of Tuckers Road, a single 
family house sustained significant structural damage. A large 
section of roof was blown off and an exterior wall was partially 
blown out. Several windows were blown out and the vinyl fencing on 
the property was almost completely blown away. A few more trees and 
minor cosmetic damage to structures occurred a few hundred yards 
east of Tuckers Road as the tornado continued northeast. Another 
residence was struck by the tornado on Tuckers Road where a large 
portion of exterior wall along the attic was blown off. The home's 
chimney was also blown off and a few windows were blown out. A 
detached garage on the property had its roof almost completely blown 
off. A chicken house behind the residence had a small portion of its 
roof blown off. Some trees were uprooted along a tree line before 
the tornado moved into a large and inaccessible wooded area.

The tornado appeared to have maintained a fairly steady intensity as 
it continued northeast toward Ellendale while crossing several 
roads. The tornado crossed Oak Road, B and R Road, Oakley Road, 
Union Church Road, and Beaver Dam Road. Along these road crossings, 
the tornado produced consistent tree damage and some minor cosmetic 
damage to some homes. More notable areas of damage include: a large 
chicken house along B and R Road was severely damaged with some 
collapse of the northern end of the structure; A house along Oakley 
Road had an exterior garage wall pushed inward; more significant 
tree damage was also noted along Oakley Road; and a small portion of 
a single family house was blown off on Beaver Dam Road.

The tornado crossed US Route 113 into Ellendale where sporadic tree 
damage occurred in a residential area along Sharons Road. An entire 
attached garage roof and walls were blown off on a single family 
home on Pine Oak Street near Sharons Road. Some other houses 
sustained roof material blown off in this area. The tornado crossed 
Beach Highway/Main Street near Old State Road where some minor tree 
damage occurred and some shingles were blown off of a few homes. The 
tornado crossed Washington Avenue and McCaulley Avenue where a small 
portion of roof material was blow off of a free standing garage. The 
tornado began to weaken considerably moving northeast of downtown 
Ellendale. It crossed Ponder Road where some roof material was blown 
off of a automotive service building. The tornado continued into a 
wooded area then crossed Holly Tree Road emerging into a field. The 
tornado circulation dissipated around 6:19 PM EDT just after turning 
over an irrigation pivot near Hummingbird Road and Benson Road.

One fatality occurred from this tornado, but no other known serious 
injuries occurred.

The National Weather Service survey team would like to thank the 
Delaware Emergency Management Agency and Sussex County Emergency 
Management Agency for their assistance with this survey.

[WxUSAF]

Seems like a decent chance a line of showers/storms interferes with the orioles home opener on Thursday. I’ll be in Williamsburg and looks like we’ll have to watch it a bit later that evening.

[CAPE]

28 minutes ago, WxUSAF said:

Seems like a decent chance a line of showers/storms interferes with the orioles home opener on Thursday. I’ll be in Williamsburg and looks like we’ll have to watch it a bit later that evening.

I'll be in Rehoboth then OC Thursday night. Looks like the timing there will be evening until about 2am.

[Paleocene]

Had to wait until April 3rd and travel about 700 miles to finally walk on snow this winter; visiting the in-laws near Hancock, ME. Some snowpack left in north-facing and shaded areas from the big storm they got in mid-March.  Pic of small frozen lake with glacier covered sandy beach attached!

[Eskimo Joe]

If the HRRR is to be believed, it's possible that DCA and Cumberland could top into the upper 80s or even get a cheap 90 degree reading. DCA, because it's DCA. Cumberland, because of downsloping.

[Kmlwx]

78 and beautiful out there IMBY right now. Only downside is I've seen 3 massive wasps around the exterior of the house already today. Going to need to re-up my pest control application...

[MN Transplant]

32 minutes ago, Eskimo Joe said:

If the HRRR is to be believed, it's possible that DCA and Cumberland could top into the upper 80s or even get a cheap 90 degree reading. DCA, because it's DCA. Cumberland, because of downsloping.

Record high at DCA is 86 tomorrow.  In danger if the HRRR and GFS are right.  The caveat being river wind in April.

[Eskimo Joe]

32 minutes ago, MN Transplant said:

Record high at DCA is 86 tomorrow.  In danger if the HRRR and GFS are right.  The caveat being river wind in April.

Looks like we have a broad SW flow at the surface and aloft, so I don't think we're going to have to worry too much about a river wind. But hey, it's DCA.

[Stormchaserchuck1]

That's a big +EPO all of a sudden, in tangent with -400dm max +NAO. We are going to be very warm as a departure by mid month. Expect later this week/weekend to verify warmer than forecasted. 

[87storms]

This weather is the stuff of legends.  Just got a loop in at the 'shed...trail was in generally great shape.   Few sticks lying around that required a little dodge 'em here and there, and only 1 tree down.  I love how quickly that trail system dries out compared to other trails around the area.

[WxUSAF]

Large drought-fueled wildfire at Soldiers Delight in Baltimore county with smoke showing up on radar.

[ThePhotoGuy]

1 minute ago, WxUSAF said:

Large drought-fueled wildfire at Soldiers Delight in Baltimore county with smoke showing up on radar.

 

Live Helicopter Footage: https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1zqKVPrgayZJB?fbclid=IwAR3LUxlDrlHhehTOSOI7wd3XG4zqvkbRVkrgQj5ANivbJb4pCwQ2CAq9aEM

5th Alarm Requested. Maryland Forestry assisting. 

[WxUSAF]

4 minutes ago, WxUSAF said:

Large drought-fueled wildfire at Soldiers Delight in Baltimore county with smoke showing up on radar.

 

[mappy]

2 hours ago, WxUSAF said:

 

Could see the smoke from the Cockeysville area 

[nj2va]

Gorgeous evening 

[Eskimo Joe]

6 hours ago, WxUSAF said:

Large drought-fueled wildfire at Soldiers Delight in Baltimore county with smoke showing up on radar.

 

5 hours ago, ThePhotoGuy said:

 

Live Helicopter Footage: https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1zqKVPrgayZJB?fbclid=IwAR3LUxlDrlHhehTOSOI7wd3XG4zqvkbRVkrgQj5ANivbJb4pCwQ2CAq9aEM

5th Alarm Requested. Maryland Forestry assisting. 

Eventually went to 8 alarms. Fire jumped several roads with flame heights in excess of 300 feet. Maryland and PA National Guard air assets got water for target air drops. Over 700 acres before containment. Some real west coast stuff.

[MN Transplant]

Low of 60.8.  Very late May/early June outside.

[Mrs.J]

61 over here in SW Fred Co. Have windows open and fans going in all rooms. Inside temp on house is 75.

[Eskimo Joe]

Soldier's Delight fire trying to flare up again.

[MN Transplant]

81.1 at noon.  Too soon.

[Mrs.J]

78 with 62% humidity. I don’t usually put the AC this early in the season, but with a 3 story TH and very little breeze I put it on. Only so that the 3rd level with the bedrooms will be cool enough to sleep tonight. 

[Baltimorewx]

Trying to figure out a gameplan with the weather for Os opening day tomorrow...looks great until about gametime. Seems to be some model spread in how organized storms are in the later afternoon and how long they may last. Looks like peak storm time is around 4-6PM

[George BM]

IAD has tied todays record of 86F.